The Rev. Manuel Sykes, of St. Petersburg's Bethel Community Baptist Church, said he plans to run for Congress.

"My concern has been about serving people, and I think that's what's needed in Congress," he said Monday.

Sykes, a Democrat, intends to run in Pinellas County's District 13, which stretches from south Pinellas to Dunedin, with portions of southern and downtown St. Petersburg cut out.

Republican David Jolly was elected last month in that district, narrowly defeating Democrat Alex Sink, in a special election following the death of longtime Republican U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young. Sink has decided not to run in the regularly scheduled election this fall.

As a longtime pastor, Sykes said "I think I'm known in the community for the work that I've done."

Sykes said some of the important issues in this campaign are health care, immigration reform and equal pay for women.

It's the Senate District 18 race in Tampa. An exact figure isn’t possible, however, because campaign finance laws don’t require political parties and interest groups to reveal how much money they put into individual races and where the money comes from.

Sen. Debbie Mayfield, R-Rockledge, said an Oct. 31 report from the Legislature's Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability backs concerns expressed by critics of the new Brightline service in South Florida that the state needs to regulate high-speed rail more.